invasive species

February 29, 2024

Invasive Species Awareness Week- Cattail 

By: Cody Wright March 2, 2022 In Ohio, our native Cattail, Typha latifolia, is being pushed out of its niche by its invasive cousin, T. angustifolia. These two species can interbreed and produce viable hybrid offspring, T. x glauca, which also exhibit invasive tendencies. It is thought that T. angustifolia was first introduced to the U.S. along the Atlantic seaboard via the dry ballast of European ships coming into harbor. The key characteristic that can be used to identify between these species is the gap, or lack thereof, between the male and female flower. Yes, that portion of the plant that humorously resembles a corndog is actually the flower spike that the plants use for sexual reproduction. The native cattail has no gap between the […]
February 27, 2024

Invasive Species Awareness Week- Callery Pear

By: Cody Wright March 1, 2022 This iconic suburban tree has come to be known by many different trade names throughout the years: Bradford Pear, Cleveland Select, Metropolitan Pear. Yet they all derive from one species native to China—the Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana). This NNIS was introduced to the U.S. in the mid-1900s as an ornamental street and yard tree and quickly gained popularity for its bright white, early spring blooms and colorful fall foliage. Through selective cultivation, multiple sterile cultivar types were created and mass produced for public purchase. According to Dr. Theresa Culley, Professor and Head of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cincinnati, “It is not the cultivar itself that is invasive, per se, but rather the problem arises […]
February 26, 2024

Invasive Species Awareness Week- Bush Honeysuckle

By: Cody Wright February 28, 2022 If you ask any conservation professional or land manager to name the greatest challenge they face, among the most common responses you will get is the never-ending effort to slow non-native and invasive species (NNIS). Ohio has become home to numerous such plant species that wreak havoc on the local habitats and ecosystems in which they take up residence. Four of the most notorious and problematic NNIS are the Bush Honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.), Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana), Narrow-leaved and Hybrid Cattail (Typha angustifolia, T. x glauca), and Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea). Let’s take a closer look at why each of these species present a concern and what is being done to help prevent their continued spread. Bush honeysuckle […]
January 9, 2024

Let’s Talk About Lesser Celandine

By: Jenny Adkins April 8, 2021 Everyone seems to be aware of our woody invasive plant species like honeysuckle, callery pear, wintercreeper, privet, etc. One thing we’re noticing this year is people gushing over the plant featured here- lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria). Yes, it’s beautiful. It’s one of the first things to come up in spring along floodplains and mesic soils, carpeting the ground in lush green foliage and cheery yellow flowers. You’ll notice at second glance that beneath that lush carpet, there’s NOTHING else growing under or around it. These areas should be loaded with diverse wildflowers- harbinger of spring, bluebells, anemone, phlox, ginger, bloodroot, solomon’s seal, ramps, trout lilies, spring beauty, Dutchman’s breeches, geranium, orchids, twin leaf, trilliums, toothwort, cresses, violets, mayapple, larkspur, […]
December 27, 2022

Invasive Species- We Be Killin’ Em

We’ve always touted ourselves as having a “team that works like MAD,” but we’ve got to hand it to our Technicians and Conservation Practitioners, who truly personify this phrase. This year they’ve aided in monitoring, wildlife and vegetative surveys, performed GIS and drone surveys, organized and completed planting efforts, volunteered time to environmental causes, and tackled 250 (TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY!) acres of invasive species management. They are lean, mean, honeysuckle-buckthorn-multiflora rose-porcelain berry-euonymus-pear-tree-of-heaven-bittersweet-privet-phragmites-cattail-reed canarygrass-garlic mustard-lesser celandine-thistle-knotweed-vinca-and English ivy killing machines! Each of our staff on this team are certified pesticide applicators or trained service persons and they use meticulous care when mixing and applying herbicide, including choosing the most effective chemical that poses the least amount of environmental damage, precisely targeting invasive species and minimizing […]
January 7, 2022

Invasive Species Management- Rocky Fork Metro Park

Between April 14 and November 4, 2021, our skilled team of technicians removed woody invasive species on a roughly 45-acre area within Rocky Fork Metro Park. Targeted species included Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana), Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), Privet (Ligustrum spp.), and Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Initial site management was completed in the spring using a cut-stump method to fell the largest trees and shrubs in the project area. Chainsaws were utilized for larger specimens, and a brush-cutter was employed to efficiently raze small and medium sized vegetation in dense clumps. Cut stems were treated using a mix of the aquatic-approved triclopyr product, Garlon 3A, as well as an aquatic-safe, non-ionic surfactant and blue tracker dye. This herbicide mix […]